


Roses Among Thorns

by Blanc_Jasmin



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Post-Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-09-15 00:58:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16923600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blanc_Jasmin/pseuds/Blanc_Jasmin
Summary: Credence knelt down beside her, eyes earnest. "There is nothing," he said slowly, putting out his hand for her to take, "to be afraid of here."---Or: It is September 1928, and Nagini makes a choice that will end her life as she knows it. Meanwhile, Newt and Co. set out to South America on a seeming fool's errand: a potion said to banish any curse, including an Obscurus.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> me: wow i love nagini  
> me: *writes about her being sad*

Stupid, stupid, **stupid!**

Nagini slumped down against the stands of the tomb. Credence had been looking for his real family, his sense of self, for months. She’d helped him as much as she could. And, now that he had a chance of knowing, she’d - what? Expected him to give it all up? For _her?_

The enchanted flames were now spreading throughout the room. An Auror a few rows down was hit; his face contorted in silent agony, and he dissolved into nothing. It climbed up, higher and higher, right towards Nagini. 

She did not move. What was the point? The moment she’d sabotaged the circus, she’d lost the only way of life she’d ever know. She had nowhere to go, nobody to turn to. Skender had told her so time and time again: nobody would ever accept a snake-woman into their homes or lives. Nobody but Le Cirque Arcanique.

The fire was directly in front of her now. She wondered if it would hurt when she died. One of the French wizards - the one who had tried to attack Credence - made a mad dive for her, but it was too late. She closed her eyes, and...

Nothing happened. The duellers fell still for a moment, seemingly trying to size her up as a threat. The man with mismatched eyes rose a bleach-white eyebrow and raised his hand in her direction. 

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” he said. “However, any friend of the boy’s is a friend of mine. Come, child. Join us.”

Nagini looked around the room. The other wizards looked on with a mix of confusion and disgust. _They wouldn’t believe if you told them this isn't what you want,_ she thought; _you need to get out of here._

With shaky legs, she stood up and walked down the steps towards the middle. A woman emerged, extending her own hand with what Nagini assumed was meant to be a comforting smile. 

After a half second’s hesitation, she took it and let the darkness take her.


	2. Regrouping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, thanks for the nice comments and kudos! i didn't realize how little nadence there was out there. looks like i'll have to step up my game ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

“Miss, are you awake?”

Waking up and turning back into a human was always an unpleasant experience; the curse of the Maledictus was, after all, a curse. Now, however, Nagini felt like she’d been beaten over the head with a Bludger as well. Everything was too bright, too loud. “Qui est là?”

“Call me Vinda,” the lilting voice responded, this time in French. “You have been brought to Austria; you fell ill while Apparating across countries. Your friend was very adamant that we let you rest.”

“Credence?” 

“Yes, the Obscurial. But that is no matter now; it’s a quarter after four, and you’re expected for dinner. Come now, up we get.” Vinda pulled Nagini from the bed, placing her arm over her shoulder. “A bath will do you lots of good. Follow me.”

Nagini was quickly led through a series of hallways, lit only by the flicker of floating candles above, whilst the other woman tutted over her like a mother hen (“By Freyja’s spindle, the state of your hair!”). Deeper and deeper they went into the building, the hallways becoming larger and more ornate, until they paused before a dark wooden door.

“Here we are. Everything you need is laid out for you. Wash quickly; our host does not like to be kept waiting.”

\----

It was quite remarkable, Newt thought as he sat down in Dumbledore’s office, how little a place could change. It was just as he remembered it, from the enchanted portraits to the trinkets on the Transfiguration teacher’s desk. 

“How long has it been,” Dumbledore said, flashing him a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “since we’ve sat down for tea?”

“Too long, Professor, too long.” 

With a flick of his hand, he sent a steaming cup floating towards Newt, along with a delicate-looking creamer and sugar bowl. The Niffler, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder, perked up and began to stretch its arms out towards them. “Oswald, behave,” he said. 

“I’m afraid I’m quite indebted to your little thieving friend. As long as he returns what he takes, I’m fine with him exploring my office.” Dumbledore lowered himself onto a worn armchair across from Newt, face unreadable.

“Professor-”

“Call me Albus.”

“Well, Albus… You said you can get rid of that vial.”

Dumbledore stared at the necklace, its silver chain glittering faintly. “Yes.”

“I need to - Can you tell me what it is?”

It was like someone had suddenly placed a great weight upon him. He sunk into the back of his chair, shutting his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Newton, how much do you know?”

Newt blinked, putting his teacup down and wringing his hands. “I heard Theseus and Travers talking.”

Dumbledore sighed deeply. “Please, believe me when I say I -“

“They said that you knew him. That you were his friend. Is this...Is this a Vow, Professor?”

Strangely, Albus’ tension seemed to lessen somewhat. “Of a sort.”

“Of what sort, exactly?”

“We promised to never harm each other. That is why I cannot move against him.” He sighed again, making him sound old beyond his years. “I cannot change the past, no matter how much I wish I could. What _we_ can change, however, is the future.”

Newt felt the same nagging sensation as he had when he had met Dumbledore in Paris. He was not receiving the full truth; he probably wasn’t even receiving the quarter truth. He could also tell, however, when a creature was hurting, and it was quite plain to him that Dumbledore was in deep pain. At that moment, it did not matter how the vial was created; just how it could be destroyed.

“What do I need to do?”

\----

It had been years, but Nagini had once seen a _pas-de-magie_ moving picture. The Cirque Arcanique had been in Lyons then, and she had trailed a group of performers to a dingy cinema. The picture was about the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. The opulence of the set had stunned her then: dresses of every color, all the food you could imagine, rooms of gold and marble.

As embarrassing as it was for someone of her age - though she didn’t know how old she really was - to play pretend, Nagini could not help but feel like the doomed Queen of France in the bathroom she’d been led to. There really **was** everything she could needed: flowery soaps, perfume bottles marked by looping script, even a towel which untangled and dried her hair instantaneously. 

She supposed the man from the tomb was married, because a fresh chemise and frock had been laid out for her. It would be quite sad, she thought, to live in such a large place and be alone. 

Alone besides Credence, at least. He was to be at this impromptu dinner, wasn’t he? What was she supposed to say to him? _I’m sorry that I tried to sabotage your meeting with your family? Why did you leave me?_

Vinda suddenly poked her head in, making Nagini jump and bump against a table holding a vase. “Sorry,” she said, not looking sorry in the slightest. “We must leave now.”

Once again, they began their journey through endless corridors. “Ma’am, my hair is still down. I don’t want to be-”

“You are fine just the way you are. Grindelwald cares more for a beautiful soul than a beautiful face.”

“Is that his name? The man from the cemetery?”

“‘The man from the cemetery’? Oh, chèrie,” Vinda’s eyes suddenly watered, face reverent, “you have no idea who you have had the honor of meeting. You truly are Schicksalskind, just like he said.”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you -” But it did not matter, because they had come before yet another lavishly furnished dining room. Two men were already seated; one at the head of the table, face cloaked in shadow, and one in the chair to his right. They appeared to be deep in whispered conversation, but turned their way once Vinda cleared her throat. 

The man at the head - Grindelwald, she now knew - grinned in a way that gave her pause. “Good evening,” he said. His smile grew when Nagini did not respond. “Aurelius has told me so much about you.”

Credence and Nagini’s eyes met across the table. Her heart jolted; his eyes were burning with...hate? She had seen him angry before, but this was completely foreign to her. Her nails dug into her palms. _Don’t get upset, stupid girl. You knew he would be cross. Don’t you dare cry._

“Please, to my left. The others will arrive shortly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear there will be, y'know, real nadence in my nadence fanfic soon. Also I promise Credence does not hate Nagini !!! 
> 
> BTW, did you guys know that the Wizarding World makes no sense mathematically? Like, how many wizards are there? They have enough to have all these complex governments and criminal underworlds, but everyone in the UK was taught Transfiguration by the same dude? We're just gonna pretend that they make up ~1% of the world.


	3. The Dinner Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is brought to you by someone calling nurmengard "cursed barbie dreamhouse"

_“We shouldn’t be going in there.”_

_Credence continued to pull her towards the storage tent, eyes darting. “Only for a minute. I want to show you something.”_

_He pulled back the entrance flap and ushered her in. The space had been crowded with wooden boxes; there was barely space to stand still._

_“This way,” Credence whispered, guiding her towards a narrow corner of the tent. He looked into a crack between two boxes, smiling at whatever was there. He rarely did so, even around her, so it must have been something extraordinary. “Hello, little guy. Come here; that’s it, come here.”_

_Something chirped in response. Credence put his hand into the crack and pulled out a baby bird. In Nagini’s opinion, it was quite ugly, but that didn’t stop him from petting its chin affectionately. “Is it magical? I didn't know we kept birds.”_

_“We don’t. This is a wood pigeon fledgling. I found it out of its nest in the Bois de Boulogne last week.”_

_“You should take it back. I don’t want you to -”_

_“Get in trouble, I know. I look after animals; I’m sure Skender won’t notice if I take a little extra feed here and there.” The fledgling squeaked at the mention of food. “I just wanted you to see it. Our little secret.”_

_“Our little secret,” she murmured back. The wood pigeon had begun to nestle against Credence’s hand. How silly it was, to be jealous of a bird! A surge of selfish anger suddenly hit her. Why couldn’t it be her? Why couldn’t she receive his undivided attention, which was usually taken up by thoughts of identity and work? A kind word here, a soft touch there?_

_It passed as soon as it came, quickly replaced by shame. Touch? So stupid, she was! She could never think of Credence that way. He only talked to her out of shared misery, a sort of necessary camaraderie. He would never feel the same._

_Credence looked at her, his usual somber expression back again. “I’ve kept you too long. You haven’t -”_

“ … touched your food.”

“I’m sorry?” Nagini was startled into the present by a hand on her arm. The woman to her left was staring at her, one eyebrow lifted. “I didn’t hear you.”

“I just noticed that you hadn’t touched your food. Is it not to your liking?”

“Huh?” How had she not noticed so much food before her? A large bowl of soup, some sort of meat, a dizzying array of other sides; all on dishes that looked like they would instantly shatter if Nagini so much as breathed on them. “I was lost in thought. I meant no offense.”

“None taken. You are a guest of honor, after all. This is all for you and the Aurelius boy.”

“His name is -” But the woman had turned away, seemingly having had enough of Nagini’s company. She must have just been making fun of her, then. Nagini was used to that. 

She picked up her spoon and put a tiny bit of the soup in her mouth. It was sweet and richer than anything she could remember. Her stomach churned dangerously; perhaps she shouldn’t eat after all. 

Most of the people at the table - twenty or so, if she had to guess - were chatting amongst themselves. She glanced to her right; Grindelwald had gone back to speaking lowly to Credence. 

She couldn’t help but stare a bit. Credence was wearing new clothes; they fit him rather well, she noted. He was biting the inside of his cheek - a nervous tic she’d seen before - and was staring at something above her head. 

Nagini had stared a bit too intently. Credence’s eyes met her once more, just as intense as before. He grit his teeth and turned away from her. This, in turn, caught Grindelwald’s attention. 

“Our new friend from the circus. What shall I call you?”

“My name is Nagini, Mr. Grindelwald.” The man looked at her with a pity that made her skin crawl. She did not need it; did not want it. 

“Nagini. It means female serpent, yes?”

“I wouldn’t know, sir.” 

“A cruelty, your name is. To refer to a woman with a gift such as yours, especially one as special as yourself, as nothing more than a viper in the grass is a deep injustice.”

“A gift, sir?!” Nagini sputtered. Who in the world did his man think he was? Nothing about her **curse** was special or a gift in any way! The pain, the isolation, the dread of knowing she would vanish into an animal’s mind in her sleep, just like her mother had so many years before…

“Not every gift is one that helps us from the start. Aurelius, for instance.” He clapped Credence on the shoulder. There was that name again. Why did everyone keep calling him that? “His name was a cruelty, a mark of Muggle ownership upon him. His Obscurus, the pure power within him, ate away at him for years. It nearly killed him.

“He was alone, afraid, just like you, Nagini. But you don’t have to be anymore. We will make you strong. We will make you _powerful_.”

Grindelwald then took both Nagini and Credence’s wrists into his hands, tugging them into a standing position with him. The dinner guests immediately fell silent, eyes alight with an almost religious fervor. 

He began to speak, this time in German. Whatever the man was saying, it was definitely persuasive. Grindelwald fell silent, and the room’s attention turned to Credence and Nagini; suddenly, a burst of applause, smiles, a few shouted comments in languages Nagini didn’t speak. She looked at Grindelwald, confused; he just smirked and let her wrist go. 

The table was magically cleared, and the vast amount of food was replaced by an equally astonishing amount of dessert. A slice of cake was slid in front of her, and the woman to her left touched her arm once more. 

“I wanted to apologize for earlier,” she said, eyes watery with that same fervor, “It was not a good impression. Please, tell me about yourself.”

\-----

Nagini could now say she hated dinner parties, and that she would never be a so-called “guest of honor” again. It seemed to have dragged on for forever after Grindelwald’s speech; it had also seemed to have sparked a sudden interest in Credence and herself. Again and again, a question was asked (often through another guest translating; it seemed to be quite the cosmopolitan gathering) and they would answer. Where were they born and raised? When had they joined the circus? What did they think of Castle Nurmengard? 

She’d finally been taken back to her room after getting a stomach ache. It wasn’t a lie, the food really had upset her, but it still felt quite rude. Now, somewhat better and dressed for bed, she had nothing better to do than stare out of a window and watch the sunset. 

Nagini had never seen so many trees in her life, nor water as blue as it was in the large lakes dotting the landscape. Even in the early September weather - she still wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep - the distant mountains were surprisingly covered in snow, lit a bright orange by the sun. 

Quickly, the sun went below the horizon, replaced by softly twinkling stars. Nagini had always loved the stars; she had liked trying to count them whenever the circus was in a more rural area. Gods, there were so many she could see. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five…

Someone knocked. Nagini closed the window curtains and padded over to the door, thinking that one of Grindelwald’s acquaintances was there. “Miss Vinda, is it you? I don’t think I’ll need anything for -”

Credence barreled past her, pacing back and forth for a moment in an act of nervous energy before turning towards her. In a few quick steps, he was right in front of her. She winced, afraid he was going to yell, but he instead wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her to his chest. 

Nagini had no idea of what to do. On one hand, Credence was acting quite strangely. Yes, they had been quite close at the circus, but they had never outright embraced before. On the other hand, he was warm and smelled nice; it was easy to… No. “Credence? Are you alright?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. She could feel his mouth moving against her hair. “I swear, Nagini, I wasn’t going to leave you. I would have come back.”  
She didn’t respond. He pulled her back, holding her at arm’s length while he stared into her eyes. “That’s not my name anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know who I am now. I am Aurelius; Aurelius Dumbledore.” His eyes flashed as they had throughout dinner, a mix of rage and conviction. 

“Cre… Aurelius, I don’t understand.”

“It’s okay. Come on, walk with me. I have so much to tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay, actual nadence-ish content! sorry it took so long to update; junior year/holidays/my birthday have had me swamped. hopefully, this longer chapter will satisfy. thanks for reading/subscribing, and have a lovely holiday season!


	4. Nighttime Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my second attempt to upload this wish me luck

Credence did not speak to her as they made their way down the dark halls. Rather, he walked briskly and seemed lost in thought. Nagini struggled to keep up behind him. _I hope he knows where we’re going…_

If Castle Nurmengard was disorienting in the daytime, it was even more so at night. The candles above had dimmed, casting deep shadows. The constant changing of direction- left, right, down, left - was making her feel sick again. 

The two finally paused beside a large painting of a sleeping woman. “This leads to the garden,” Credence whispered, tugging at its side. The painting startled awake and swung outwards, revealing pitch darkness. “Mr. Grindelwald showed it to me. I don’t think we’ll be overheard.”

He stepped into the darkness, vanishing almost instantly from her sight. Nagini quickly followed. 

The moment they were both outside, small lights flickered to life at their feet and outlined a path in the grass. All around them, a seemingly endless sea of flowering plants extended as far as Nagini could see. 

“It’s beautiful,” she said. 

Credence nodded distractedly. “We should move away from the door. Let’s keep walking.” 

The path was narrow, as if had been designed for whispered conversations. Nagini tried to not think about how strange her shoulder felt as it brushed against Credence’s. Instead, as they passed a plant with flower buds that glowed as if aflame, she worked up the courage to speak. “When will you be meeting your family?”

Credence let out a deep breath. “That’s what I need to tell you. Nagini, I need your help again.” 

“How?”

“I have to kill my brother.”

Nagini was shocked. She stared at him, mouth agape.

Credence stood still, refusing to meet her eyes. “My family - the Dumbledores - are from Britain. My father killed three non-magical children and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Just before he died, he got one of the inmates, my mother, pregnant. 

“She died when I was born, and Aurors took me away. Mr. Grindelwald said that’s when records become hazy; he couldn’t tell me my mother’s name, or why I was given to non-wizards, or how I came to be in New York. But that doesn’t matter. I still know who I am.”

 _No, no, no,_ Nagini thought. _That doesn’t make sense. Something’s not right here._ “Listen,” she said slowly, “are you sure that’s the truth?”

Credence looked affronted. “Why would it not be?”

“This man shows up unannounced in Paris, saying he knows everything about you even though you’ve never met him. Now, we’re in the middle of nowhere in a different county and he’s asking you to kill someone!”

He still looked angry, beginning to walk again. “My father had a family before Azkaban. My half-brother hates me. He wants me dead. I have to kill him, or he will kill me first.”

“Do you even know who he is? How can you be sure?”

Credence reached into his pockets, pulling out a crumpled piece of newspaper. He shoved it into Nagini’s hand as if it hurt to hold. “That’s him. My brother,” he spat out. 

Nagini studied it closely. The man in the photograph looked nothing like a person seeking to kill their brother. He appeared to be middle-aged, dressed in a tailored suit and smiling serenely at the camera. His hand was clasped upon one of several children’s shoulder, who were also giving the camera toothy grins. The caption read, **_Albus Dumbledore, pictured with his third-year class at Hogwarts._** “He’s a lot older than you, and you don’t look that much alike. You’re sure this is him?”

“Of course it is! I am Aurelius Dumbledore! I had doubts too, Nagini, but the phoenix proves everything.” 

That did not help in the slightest. “Phoenix? What phoenix?”

“It is a family legend that a phoenix arrives to help a Dumbledore in a time of dire need. In Mr. Grindelwald’s study, when I told him I would stop my brother, a phoenix appeared.”

“That still doesn’t explain why he wants to kill you. How would he even know you exist?”

He leaned in even closer, whispering directly into Nagini’s ear. “I had a half-sister who died. She was just like me.”

“An Obscurial?”

“Yes. That’s all I know.”

The pair stood in silence, not looking at each other. They had paused beside a gnarled tree, which Nagini leaned against. Her head was spinning; she just couldn’t make sense of the story she had just been told. It seemed to create ten more questions for each one it answered. She sank to the ground, pulling her arms around her knees. No, this was not good. “This is wrong. I want to go home,” she whispered. 

“What home, Nagini?” Credence let out a wry laugh. “The circus? The orphanage? There’s no home for people like us. We have nowhere to go.” 

“I want to go back to Paris, then. We are in danger.”

“We’ll be in more danger if we leave. My brother -”

“It doesn’t make sense! Nothing is making sense.”

“You’re still sick, and probably tired. Let me -”

“No! I’m not sick or tired; I’m trying to tell you that something is WRONG. This man isn’t helping you out of the kindness of his heart. He wants to use you for something, and that other man is involved in it.”

“Nagini. I’ve been among these people for three days, and they have been nothing but kind. Much kinder than the rest of the wizarding world. They just want to help us.” Credence knelt down beside her, eyes earnest. “There is nothing,” he said slowly, holding out his hand for her to take, “to be afraid of here.” 

By everything sacred in the world, why couldn’t she stay angry at him? She held out her hand, which Credence grasped quickly. He brought her knuckles to his lips, pressing a kiss to each one. Her cheeks burned in the chilly night air. It had been a long time since he had done that. 

_“Did Skender say something to you again?”_

_“…”_

_“Damn that man. Come over here, I’ll make you feel better.”  
_

Nagini was pulled to her feet. “I’ve upset you. Let me take you back upstairs.”

Nagini barely paid attention to the journey back. Was she really just seeing danger that wasn’t there? Credence was one of the least trusting people she knew; it had taken him months just to warm up to her, and that was after hours of being forced to work together. Still, that conversation at dinner, and the rally, and this “Aurelius” business...

She just couldn’t shake it. She climbed back into her too-large bed, trembling from something other than the cold. 

_Something is not right. Something is not right. Something is not right…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i was gone so long!!!! I swear not all updates will have so much time between them
> 
> Oh, Credence. Why are you acting like that? I wonder...


End file.
